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BBC News job losses aim to save £24m

Getty Images BBC logo on the BBC's Broadcasting House in central LondonGetty Images

BBC News has announced cuts totalling £24m as part of wider BBC efforts to save £700m a year.

Casualties include hard-hitting global interview programme Hard Talk, which is being axed.

Its presenter Stephen Sackur, who will leave the BBC, called the move "depressing" for the future of in-depth interviews that "hold to account those who all too often avoid accountability in their own countries".

The bespoke Asian Network News service will also close, with the station taking its bulletins from Radio 1's Newsbeat instead.

The proposals would result in a net loss of 155 jobs, with 130 journalism roles at risk and 25 from media operations (technical roles including camera operators). The £24m saved represents 4% of the corporation's news budget.

Other changes include production of the overnight programme on BBC Radio 5 Live moving to the BBC’s nations and local teams.

The number of digital roles in time zones outside the UK will be increased, with some roles in London closing and new positions opening in Sydney.

Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, said even after the savings, the department "will remain very well resourced compared to our competitors".

But the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it was concerned about long-term harm to the BBC without urgent investment.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: "These latest cuts represent a damaging assault on journalism and news at a time when the UK needs greater plurality and diversity of news and trust in journalism is under attack at home and abroad."

The corporation did not include an announcement about the World Service, which has already seen cuts to foreign language services including Chinese and Arabic.

The government currently contributes about a quarter of the World Service's £366m budget, and the BBC has asked for an increase. It is understood that decision will come by the end of October.

On Monday, BBC director general Tim Davie warned the UK is struggling to counter a rise in "pure propaganda" from countries like Russia and China because of cuts to the service.